Vr-based connected portal shopping

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing programs and methods for performing operations comprising: receiving a request from a client device of a first user to engage in a shared virtual reality shopping experience with a second user; generating, for display on respective client devices of the first and second users, the shared virtual reality shopping experience comprising a plurality of virtual reality items that represent real-world products; receiving, from the client device of the second user, data indicating a selection of a first virtual reality item of the plurality of virtual reality items made by the second user; and modifying a display attribute of the first virtual item in the display of the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the client device of the first user to indicate the selection of the first virtual reality item made by the second user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to providing augmented reality(AR)/virtual reality (VR) experiences using a messaging application.

BACKGROUND

Augmented-Reality is a modification of a virtual environment. Forexample, in VR, a user is completely immersed in a virtual world,whereas in AR, the user is immersed in a world where virtual objects arecombined or superimposed on the real world. An AR system aims togenerate and present virtual objects that interact realistically with areal-world environment and with each other. Examples of AR applicationscan include single or multiple player video games, instant messagingsystems, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numeralsmay describe similar components in different views. To easily identifythe discussion of any particular element or act, the most significantdigit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number inwhich that element is first introduced. Some nonlimiting examples areillustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a networked environment inwhich the present disclosure may be deployed, in accordance with someexamples.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a messaging clientapplication, in accordance with some examples.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a data structure asmaintained in a database, in accordance with some examples.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a message, in accordance withsome examples.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7A, 7B, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic representations of outputsof the shared shopping experience system, in accordance with someexamples.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of the messagingapplication server, according to examples.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions may be executed forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, in accordance with some examples.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a software architecture within whichexamples may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative examples of the disclosure. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of various examples.It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that examplesmay be practiced without these specific details. In general, well-knowninstruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are notnecessarily shown in detail.

Typically, VR and AR shopping systems allow users to browse virtualproducts in the comfort of their own home. These systems allow a user topreview how a physical item looks on the user, which simplifies thepurchasing process. However, such systems are individual user based anddo not provide a way for users to share the shopping experiencesvirtually. In order to get feedback from the user's friends on productsof interest, the user has to navigate the virtual store by themselves,select an item of interest, and then send that item to their friends forfeedback. Such feedback may take time to receive and the lack of realtime communications about the items being browsed typically causespurchase opportunities to be missed. While these systems generally workwell, the manual and individual nature of the shopping experiences theyprovide reduces from the overall appeal. Specifically, the user of thesesystems has to spend a great deal of effort searching through andnavigating multiple user interfaces and pages of information to identifyan item of interest and then has to share that item with their friendwhich takes even more time. These tasks can be daunting and timeconsuming, which detracts from the overall interest of using thesesystems and results in wasted resources.

The disclosed techniques improve the efficiency of using an electronicdevice that implements or otherwise accesses an AR/VR system byproviding a shared AR/VR shopping experience in which multiple users caninteract with each other in a virtual world to shop for products, suchas for the users to purchase corresponding physical or electronicallyconsumable items (e.g., clothing, accessories, makeup, toys, videoitems, music items, or video game items). Because the users interactwith each other in the shared AR/VR shopping experience, they canreceive and provide real time feedback and improve the overall shoppingexperience. This avoids missed shopping and purchase opportunities andincreases the overall appeal of online shopping.

Specifically, the disclosed techniques receive a request from a firstuser to engage in a shared virtual reality shopping experience with asecond user. The shared virtual reality shopping experience is generatedfor display on respective client devices of the first and second users.The shared virtual reality shopping experience includes a plurality ofvirtual reality items that represent real-world products. Dataindicating a selection of a first virtual reality item of the pluralityof virtual reality items made by the second user is received from theclient device of the second user. The disclosed embodiments modify adisplay attribute of the first virtual item in the display of the sharedvirtual reality shopping experience on the client device of the firstuser to indicate the selection of the first virtual reality item made bythe second user. This improves the overall experience of the user inusing the electronic device and reduces the overall amount of systemresources needed to accomplish a task.

Networked Computing Environment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system 100 forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network.The messaging system 100 includes multiple instances of a client device102, each of which hosts a number of applications, including a messagingclient 104 and other external applications 109 (e.g., third-partyapplications). Each messaging client 104 is communicatively coupled toother instances of the messaging client 104 (e.g., hosted on respectiveother client devices 102), a messaging server system 108 and externalapp(s) servers 110 via a network 112 (e.g., the Internet). A messagingclient 104 can also communicate with locally-hosted third-partyapplications 109 using Applications Program Interfaces (APIs).

A messaging client 104 is able to communicate and exchange data withother messaging clients 104 and with the messaging server system 108 viathe network 112. The data exchanged between messaging clients 104, andbetween a messaging client 104 and the messaging server system 108,includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) as well aspayload data (e.g., text, audio, video or other multimedia data).

The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality viathe network 112 to a particular messaging client 104. While certainfunctions of the messaging system 100 are described herein as beingperformed by either a messaging client 104 or by the messaging serversystem 108, the location of certain functionality either within themessaging client 104 or the messaging server system 108 may be a designchoice. For example, it may be technically preferable to initiallydeploy certain technology and functionality within the messaging serversystem 108 but to later migrate this technology and functionality to themessaging client 104 where a client device 102 has sufficient processingcapacity.

The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operationsthat are provided to the messaging client 104. Such operations includetransmitting data to, receiving data from, and processing data generatedby the messaging client 104. This data may include message content,client device information, geolocation information, media augmentationand overlays, message content persistence conditions, social networkinformation, and live event information, as examples. Data exchangeswithin the messaging system 100 are invoked and controlled throughfunctions available via user interfaces (UIs) of the messaging client104.

Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, an APIserver 116 is coupled to, and provides a programmatic interface to,application servers 114. The application servers 114 are communicativelycoupled to a database server 120, which facilitates access to a database126 that stores data associated with messages processed by theapplication servers 114. Similarly, a web server 128 is coupled to theapplication servers 114 and provides web-based interfaces to theapplication servers 114. To this end, the web server 128 processesincoming network requests over the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)and several other related protocols.

The API server 116 receives and transmits message data (e.g., commandsand message payloads) between the client device 102 and the applicationservers 114. Specifically, the API server 116 provides a set ofinterfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queriedby the messaging client 104 in order to invoke functionality of theapplication servers 114. The API server 116 exposes various functionssupported by the application servers 114, including accountregistration; login functionality; the sending of messages, via theapplication servers 114, from a particular messaging client 104 toanother messaging client 104; the sending of media files (e.g., imagesor video) from a messaging client 104 to a messaging server 118, and forpossible access by another messaging client 104; the settings of acollection of media data (e.g., story); the retrieval of a list offriends of a user of a client device 102; the retrieval of suchcollections; the retrieval of messages and content; the addition anddeletion of entities (e.g., friends) to an entity graph (e.g., a socialgraph); the location of friends within a social graph; and opening anapplication event (e.g., relating to the messaging client 104).

The application servers 114 host a number of server applications andsubsystems, including, for example a messaging server 118, an imageprocessing server 122, and a social network server 124. The messagingserver 118 implements a number of message processing technologies andfunctions, particularly related to the aggregation and other processingof content (e.g., textual and multimedia content) included in messagesreceived from multiple instances of the messaging client 104. As will bedescribed in further detail, the text and media content from multiplesources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., calledstories or galleries). These collections are then made available to themessaging client 104. Other processor- and memory-intensive processingof data may also be performed server-side by the messaging server 118,in view of the hardware requirements for such processing.

The application servers 114 also include an image processing server 122that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations,typically with respect to images or video within the payload of amessage sent from or received at the messaging server 118.

Image processing server 122 is used to implement scan functionality ofthe augmentation system 208. Scan functionality includes activating andproviding one or more augmented reality experiences on a client device102 when an image is captured by the client device 102. Specifically,the messaging client 104 on the client device 102 can be used toactivate a camera. The camera displays one or more real-time images or avideo to a user along with one or more icons or identifiers of one ormore augmented reality experiences. The user can select a given one ofthe identifiers to launch the corresponding augmented reality experienceor perform a desired image modification (e.g., launching a sharedshopping experience with one or more friends/users, as discussed inconnection with FIGS. 5-10 below).

The social network server 124 supports various social networkingfunctions and services and makes these functions and services availableto the messaging server 118. To this end, the social network server 124maintains and accesses an entity graph 308 (as shown in FIG. 3) withinthe database 126. Examples of functions and services supported by thesocial network server 124 include the identification of other users ofthe messaging system 100 with which a particular user has relationshipsor is “following,” and also the identification of other entities andinterests of a particular user.

Returning to the messaging client 104, features and functions of anexternal resource (e.g., a third-party application 109 or applet) aremade available to a user via an interface of the messaging client 104.The messaging client 104 receives a user selection of an option tolaunch or access features of an external resource (e.g., a third-partyresource), such as external apps 109. The external resource may be athird-party application (external apps 109) installed on the clientdevice 102 (e.g., a “native app”), or a small-scale version of thethird-party application (e.g., an “applet”) that is hosted on the clientdevice 102 or remote of the client device 102 (e.g., on third-partyservers 110). The small-scale version of the third-party applicationincludes a subset of features and functions of the third-partyapplication (e.g., the full-scale, native version of the third-partystandalone application) and is implemented using a markup-languagedocument. In one example, the small-scale version of the third-partyapplication (e.g., an “applet”) is a web-based, markup-language versionof the third-party application and is embedded in the messaging client104. In addition to using markup-language documents (e.g., a .*ml file),an applet may incorporate a scripting language (e.g., a .*js file or a.json file) and a style sheet (e.g., a .*ss file).

In response to receiving a user selection of the option to launch oraccess features of the external resource (external app 109), themessaging client 104 determines whether the selected external resourceis a web-based external resource or a locally-installed externalapplication. In some cases, external applications 109 that are locallyinstalled on the client device 102 can be launched independently of andseparately from the messaging client 104, such as by selecting an icon,corresponding to the external application 109, on a home screen of theclient device 102. Small-scale versions of such external applicationscan be launched or accessed via the messaging client 104 and, in someexamples, no or limited portions of the small-scale external applicationcan be accessed outside of the messaging client 104. The small-scaleexternal application can be launched by the messaging client 104receiving, from an external app(s) server 110, a markup-languagedocument associated with the small-scale external application andprocessing such a document.

In response to determining that the external resource is alocally-installed external application 109, the messaging client 104instructs the client device 102 to launch the external application 109by executing locally-stored code corresponding to the externalapplication 109. In response to determining that the external resourceis a web-based resource, the messaging client 104 communicates with theexternal app(s) servers 110 to obtain a markup-language documentcorresponding to the selected resource. The messaging client 104 thenprocesses the obtained markup-language document to present the web-basedexternal resource within a user interface of the messaging client 104.

The messaging client 104 can notify a user of the client device 102, orother users related to such a user (e.g., “friends”), of activity takingplace in one or more external resources. For example, the messagingclient 104 can provide participants in a conversation (e.g., a chatsession) in the messaging client 104 with notifications relating to thecurrent or recent use of an external resource by one or more members ofa group of users. One or more users can be invited to join in an activeexternal resource or to launch a recently used but currently inactive(in the group of friends) external resource. The external resource canprovide participants in a conversation, each using a respectivemessaging client 104, with the ability to share an item, status, state,or location in an external resource with one or more members of a groupof users into a chat session. The shared item may be an interactive chatcard with which members of the chat can interact, for example, to launchthe corresponding external resource, view specific information withinthe external resource, or take the member of the chat to a specificlocation or state within the external resource. Within a given externalresource, response messages can be sent to users on the messaging client104. The external resource can selectively include different media itemsin the responses based on a current context of the external resource.

The messaging client 104 can present a list of the available externalresources (e.g., third-party or external applications 109 or applets) toa user to launch or access a given external resource. This list can bepresented in a context-sensitive menu. For example, the iconsrepresenting different ones of the external application 109 (or applets)can vary based on how the menu is launched by the user (e.g., from aconversation interface or from a non-conversation interface).

System Architecture

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating further details regarding themessaging system 100, according to some examples. Specifically, themessaging system 100 is shown to comprise the messaging client 104 andthe application servers 114. The messaging system 100 embodies a numberof subsystems, which are supported on the client side by the messagingclient 104 and on the sever side by the application servers 114. Thesesubsystems include, for example, an ephemeral timer system 202, acollection management system 204, an augmentation system 208, a mapsystem 210, a game system 212, and an external resource system 220.

The ephemeral timer system 202 is responsible for enforcing thetemporary or time-limited access to content by the messaging client 104and the messaging server 118. The ephemeral timer system 202incorporates a number of timers that, based on duration and displayparameters associated with a message, or collection of messages (e.g., astory), selectively enable access (e.g., for presentation and display)to messages and associated content via the messaging client 104. Furtherdetails regarding the operation of the ephemeral timer system 202 areprovided below.

The collection management system 204 is responsible for managing sets orcollections of media (e.g., collections of text, image video, and audiodata). A collection of content (e.g., messages, including images, video,text, and audio) may be organized into an “event gallery” or an “eventstory.” Such a collection may be made available for a specified timeperiod, such as the duration of an event to which the content relates.For example, content relating to a music concert may be made availableas a “story” for the duration of that music concert. The collectionmanagement system 204 may also be responsible for publishing an iconthat provides notification of the existence of a particular collectionto the user interface of the messaging client 104.

The collection management system 204 furthermore includes a curationinterface 206 that allows a collection manager to manage and curate aparticular collection of content. For example, the curation interface206 enables an event organizer to curate a collection of contentrelating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content orredundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system 204employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and contentrules to automatically curate a content collection. In certain examples,compensation may be paid to a user for the inclusion of user-generatedcontent into a collection. In such cases, the collection managementsystem 204 operates to automatically make payments to such users for theuse of their content.

The augmentation system 208 provides various functions that enable auser to augment (e.g., annotate or otherwise modify or edit) mediacontent associated with a message. For example, the augmentation system208 provides functions related to the generation and publishing of mediaoverlays for messages processed by the messaging system 100. Theaugmentation system 208 operatively supplies a media overlay oraugmentation (e.g., an image filter) to the messaging client 104 basedon a geolocation of the client device 102. In another example, theaugmentation system 208 operatively supplies a media overlay to themessaging client 104 based on other information, such as social networkinformation of the user of the client device 102. A media overlay mayinclude audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audioand visual content include pictures, texts, logos, animations, and soundeffects. An example of a visual effect includes color overlaying. Theaudio and visual content or the visual effects can be applied to a mediacontent item (e.g., a photo) at the client device 102. For example, themedia overlay may include text, a graphical element, or image that canbe overlaid on top of a photograph taken by the client device 102. Inanother example, the media overlay includes an identification of alocation overlay (e.g., Venice beach), a name of a live event, or a nameof a merchant overlay (e.g., Beach Coffee House). In another example,the augmentation system 208 uses the geolocation of the client device102 to identify a media overlay that includes the name of a merchant atthe geolocation of the client device 102. The media overlay may includeother indicia associated with the merchant. The media overlays may bestored in the database 126 and accessed through the database server 120.

In some examples, the augmentation system 208 provides a user-basedpublication platform that enables users to select a geolocation on a mapand upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The usermay also specify circumstances under which a particular media overlayshould be offered to other users. The augmentation system 208 generatesa media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates theuploaded content with the selected geolocation.

In other examples, the augmentation system 208 provides a merchant-basedpublication platform that enables merchants to select a particular mediaoverlay associated with a geolocation via a bidding process. Forexample, the augmentation system 208 associates the media overlay of thehighest bidding merchant with a corresponding geolocation for apredefined amount of time. The augmentation system 208 communicates withthe image processing server 122 to obtain augmented reality experiencesand presents identifiers of such experiences in one or more userinterfaces (e.g., as icons over a real-time image or video or asthumbnails or icons in interfaces dedicated for presented identifiers ofaugmented reality experiences). Once an augmented reality experience isselected, one or more images, videos, or augmented reality graphicalelements are retrieved and presented as an overlay on top of the imagesor video captured by the client device 102. In some cases, the camera isswitched to a front-facing view (e.g., the front-facing camera of theclient device 102 is activated in response to activation of a particularaugmented reality experience) and the images from the front-facingcamera of the client device 102 start being displayed on the clientdevice 102 instead of the rear-facing camera of the client device 102.The one or more images, videos, or augmented reality graphical elementsare retrieved and presented as an overlay on top of the images that arecaptured and displayed by the front-facing camera of the client device102.

In other examples, the augmentation system 208 is able to communicateand exchange data with another augmentation system 208 on another clientdevice 102 and with the server via the network 106. The data exchangedcan include a session identifier that identifies the shared AR session,a transformation between a first client device 102 and a second clientdevice 102 (e.g., a plurality of client devices 102 include the firstand second devices) that is used to align the shared AR session to acommon point of origin, a common coordinate frame, functions (e.g.,commands to invoke functions), and other payload data (e.g., text,audio, video or other multimedia data).

The augmentation system 208 sends the transformation to the secondclient device 102 so that the second client device 102 can adjust the ARcoordinate system based on the transformation. In this way, the firstand second client devices 102 synch up their coordinate systems andframes for displaying content in the AR session. Specifically, theaugmentation system 208 computes the point of origin of the secondclient device 102 in the coordinate system of the first client device102. The augmentation system 208 can then determine an offset in thecoordinate system of the second client device 102 based on the positionof the point of origin from the perspective of the second client device102 in the coordinate system of the second client device 102. Thisoffset is used to generate the transformation so that the second clientdevice 102 generates AR content in a same coordinate system or frame asthe first client device 102.

The augmentation system 208 can communicate with the client device 102and/or the shared shopping experience system 224 to establish individualor shared AR/VR sessions. The augmentation system 208 can also becoupled to the messaging server 118 to establish an electronic groupcommunication session (e.g., group chat, instant messaging) for theclient devices 102 in a shared AR session. The electronic groupcommunication session can be associated with a session identifierprovided by the client devices 102 to gain access to the electronicgroup communication session and to the shared AR/VR session. In oneexample, the client devices 102 first gain access to the electronicgroup communication session and then obtain the session identifier inthe electronic group communication session that allows the clientdevices 102 to access to the shared AR/VR session. In some examples, theclient devices 102 are able to access the shared AR/VR session withoutaid or communication with the augmentation system 208 in the applicationservers 114.

The map system 210 provides various geographic location functions andsupports the presentation of map-based media content and messages by themessaging client 104. For example, the map system 210 enables thedisplay of user icons or avatars (e.g., stored in profile data 316) on amap to indicate a current or past location of “friends” of a user, aswell as media content (e.g., collections of messages includingphotographs and videos) generated by such friends, within the context ofa map. For example, a message posted by a user to the messaging system100 from a specific geographic location may be displayed within thecontext of a map at that particular location to “friends” of a specificuser on a map interface of the messaging client 104. A user canfurthermore share his or her location and status information (e.g.,using an appropriate status avatar) with other users of the messagingsystem 100 via the messaging client 104, with this location and statusinformation being similarly displayed within the context of a mapinterface of the messaging client 104 to selected users.

The game system 212 provides various gaming functions within the contextof the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 provides a gameinterface providing a list of available games (e.g., web-based games orweb-based applications) that can be launched by a user within thecontext of the messaging client 104 and played with other users of themessaging system 100. The messaging system 100 further enables aparticular user to invite other users to participate in the play of aspecific game by issuing invitations to such other users from themessaging client 104. The messaging client 104 also supports both voiceand text messaging (e.g., chats) within the context of gameplay,provides a leaderboard for the games, and supports the provision ofin-game rewards (e.g., coins and items).

The external resource system 220 provides an interface for the messagingclient 104 to communicate with external app(s) servers 110 to launch oraccess external resources. Each external resource (apps) server 110hosts, for example, a markup language (e.g., HTML5) based application orsmall-scale version of an external application (e.g., game, utility,payment, or ride-sharing application that is external to the messagingclient 104). The messaging client 104 may launch a web-based resource(e.g., application) by accessing the HTML5 file from the externalresource (apps) servers 110 associated with the web-based resource. Incertain examples, applications hosted by external resource servers 110are programmed in JavaScript leveraging a Software Development Kit (SDK)provided by the messaging server 118. The SDK includes APIs withfunctions that can be called or invoked by the web-based application. Incertain examples, the messaging server 118 includes a JavaScript librarythat provides a given third-party resource access to certain user dataof the messaging client 104. HTML5 is used as an example technology forprogramming games, but applications and resources programmed based onother technologies can be used.

In order to integrate the functions of the SDK into the web-basedresource, the SDK is downloaded by an external resource (apps) server110 from the messaging server 118 or is otherwise received by theexternal resource (apps) server 110. Once downloaded or received, theSDK is included as part of the application code of a web-based externalresource. The code of the web-based resource can then call or invokecertain functions of the SDK to integrate features of the messagingclient 104 into the web-based resource.

The SDK stored on the messaging server 118 effectively provides thebridge between an external resource (e.g., third-party or externalapplications 109 or applets and the messaging client 104). This providesthe user with a seamless experience of communicating with other users onthe messaging client 104, while also preserving the look and feel of themessaging client 104. To bridge communications between an externalresource and a messaging client 104, in certain examples, the SDKfacilitates communication between external resource servers 110 and themessaging client 104. In certain examples, a WebViewJavaScriptBridgerunning on a client device 102 establishes two one-way communicationchannels between an external resource and the messaging client 104.Messages are sent between the external resource and the messaging client104 via these communication channels asynchronously. Each SDK functioninvocation is sent as a message and callback. Each SDK function isimplemented by constructing a unique callback identifier and sending amessage with that callback identifier.

By using the SDK, not all information from the messaging client 104 isshared with external resource servers 110. The SDK limits whichinformation is shared based on the needs of the external resource. Incertain examples, each external resource server 110 provides an HTML5file corresponding to the web-based external resource to the messagingserver 118. The messaging server 118 can add a visual representation(such as a box art or other graphic) of the web-based external resourcein the messaging client 104. Once the user selects the visualrepresentation or instructs the messaging client 104 through a graphicaluser interface (GUI) of the messaging client 104 to access features ofthe web-based external resource, the messaging client 104 obtains theHTML5 file and instantiates the resources necessary to access thefeatures of the web-based external resource.

The messaging client 104 presents a graphical user interface (e.g., alanding page or title screen) for an external resource. During, before,or after presenting the landing page or title screen, the messagingclient 104 determines whether the launched external resource has beenpreviously authorized to access user data of the messaging client 104.In response to determining that the launched external resource has beenpreviously authorized to access user data of the messaging client 104,the messaging client 104 presents another graphical user interface ofthe external resource that includes functions and features of theexternal resource. In response to determining that the launched externalresource has not been previously authorized to access user data of themessaging client 104, after a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds)of displaying the landing page or title screen of the external resource,the messaging client 104 slides up (e.g., animates a menu as surfacingfrom a bottom of the screen to a middle of or other portion of thescreen) a menu for authorizing the external resource to access the userdata. The menu identifies the type of user data that the externalresource will be authorized to use. In response to receiving a userselection of an accept option, the messaging client 104 adds theexternal resource to a list of authorized external resources and allowsthe external resource to access user data from the messaging client 104.In some examples, the external resource is authorized by the messagingclient 104 to access the user data in accordance with an OAuth 2framework.

The messaging client 104 controls the type of user data that is sharedwith external resources based on the type of external resource beingauthorized. For example, external resources that include full-scaleexternal applications (e.g., a third-party or external application 109)are provided with access to a first type of user data (e.g., onlytwo-dimensional (2D) avatars of users with or without different avatarcharacteristics). As another example, external resources that includesmall-scale versions of external applications (e.g., web-based versionsof third-party applications) are provided with access to a second typeof user data (e.g., payment information, 2D avatars of users,three-dimensional (3D) avatars of users, and avatars with various avatarcharacteristics). Avatar characteristics include different ways tocustomize a look and feel of an avatar, such as different poses, facialfeatures, clothing, and so forth.

The shared shopping experience system 224 provides a virtual storefrontfor multiple users to browse and shop for products virtually together.In particular, the shared shopping experience system 224 can provide ashared shopping experience associated with a particular merchant orstore. The shared shopping experience system 224 generates an option fora user to join or engage in a shared shopping experience. In response toreceiving a user selection of the option from a client device 102, theshared shopping experience system 224 presents a screen that allows theuser to invite one or more friends to join the user in the sharedshopping experience. Input can be received from the client device 102 ofthe user that identifies one or more other users or friends of the useron the messaging client 104. In response, the shared shopping experiencesystem 224 transmits a communication to the identified friends allowingthe friends to launch and join the shared shopping experience with theuser.

After the users join or launch the shared shopping experience, each useris presented on their own client device 102 an instance of the virtualshared shopping experience of the particular merchant or store. Whilethe shared shopping experience system 224 provides displays or the VRstore to the users, other users can join and leave the shared shoppingexperience in real time. The shared shopping experience system 224presents, on displays of the client device 102 of the users, virtualitems that represent products offered for sale by the merchant or store.The virtual shopping experience provides a virtual store that looks likethe physical store of the merchant.

The users can individually and independently navigate and browse thevirtual items in the virtual store. For example, a first user cannavigate the virtual store on the client device 102 of the first user bywalking around the first user's real-world environment. Namely, as thefirst user walks along a particular path in 3D, the shared shoppingexperience system 224 can determine the trajectory of the user andupdate the display of the virtual store presented to the first user tomove the user along the determined trajectory. As the first user turnsthe client device 102 to the right or in a given direction in 3D, theshared shopping experience system 224 changes the view of the virtualstore to show the user contents of the virtual store that appear on theright or in the given direction in 3D.

A second user can similarly navigate through the virtual storeindependently of the first user. Namely, the second user can be browsingvirtual items that are in a first room of the virtual store and adisplay of the first room may be provided to the second user on a clientdevice 102 of the second user. While the display of the first room isprovided to the client device 102 of the second user, the first user canbe browsing items in a second room of the virtual store and,accordingly, a display of the second room can be presented to the clientdevice 102 of the first user. The shared shopping experience system 224maintains virtual 3D positions or coordinates of each user that iscurrently engaged in the shared shopping experience system 224.Specifically, the shared shopping experience system 224 can assign afirst coordinate that represents the current 3D position of the firstuser in the virtual store (e.g., a first 3D position in the second room)and can assign a second coordinate that represents the current 3Dposition of the second user in the virtual store (e.g., a 3D secondposition in the first room).

In some cases, the shared shopping experience system 224 can presentindicators on respective displays of the users who are currently engagedin the shared shopping experience that identify which users are engagedin the shared shopping experience and their current 3D positions. Theindicators can be conditionally displayed on the basis of whether aclient device 102 of a given user points towards a direction in 3D ofanother user. For example, a client device 102 of a first user can bepointed towards a field of view corresponding to a first portion of thevirtual store while a second user is virtually located in a secondportion of the virtual store that is 180 degrees away from the firstportion. The virtual location of the second user is not initially withinthe field of view corresponding to the first portion. As input isreceived from the client device 102 of the first user that the clientdevice 102 of the first user has been moved (e.g., turned 180 degrees),the field of view of the client device 102 of the first user is updatedto depict the second portion. As a result, the client device 102 of thefirst user is now pointing towards a direction of the virtual locationof the second user. In response, the shared shopping experience system224 displays an indicator that uniquely identifies the second userwithin a display of a virtual store on the client device 102 of thefirst user.

In some implementations, the indicators of the locations of the userswithin the virtual store are conditionally displayed on the basis of avirtual surface normal extending from a rear portion of the clientdevice 102 of a given user away from the given user virtually in thevirtual store. For example, the virtual surface normal can be extendedaway from a front body of the user within the virtual store. Namely, theshared shopping experience system 224 can identify all of the pointswithin the 3D space of the virtual store that are intersected by thesurface normal extending away from the client device 102 of a firstuser, such as extending away from a current field of view of the firstuser. The shared shopping experience system 224 can determine that thecurrent virtual position of all other users within the virtual store isnot intersected by the virtual surface normal. As a result, the sharedshopping experience system 224 does not display any indicators of thelocations of the other users. As input is received from the clientdevice 102 of the first user indicating movement through the virtualstore (e.g., as the first user physically moves around the first user'senvironment or the first user selects an on-screen option to navigatethe virtual store in a given direction, such as by swiping or tapping agiven portion of the display), the display of the virtual store on theclient device 102 of the first user is updated to display contents ofthe virtual store within the virtual field of view of the first user.Also, the shared shopping experience system 224 can identify all of thepoints within the 3D space of the virtual store that are intersected bythe updated surface normal extending away from the client device 102 ofa first user, such as extending away from the updated field of view ofthe first user. The shared shopping experience system 224 can determinethat the current virtual position of a second user within the virtualstore is intersected by the virtual surface normal. In response, theshared shopping experience system 224 displays an indicator of thesecond user.

In some cases, the indicators of the virtual locations of the otherusers within the virtual store include pins. In some cases, theindicators of the virtual locations of the other users include avatarsof the other users. The pins or avatars can include a name of therespective user represented by the indicator. The pins or avatars canalso include information about the current activity being performed bythe other users, such as whether the other user associated with theindicator is accessing detailed information on a given product, isvirtually trying on a product, is checking out and purchasing a product,has picked up a product, or is performing some other action. The sharedshopping experience system 224 can receive input that selects a givenindicator that is displayed on a given client device 102 of a given userand, in response, the shared shopping experience system 224 updates thecurrent location of the given user in the virtual store to be within acloser proximity to the user associated with the given indicator.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 presentsa list of virtual reality items corresponding to real-world products ina field of view of a client device 102 of a first user. The list ofvirtual reality items can represent different types of real-worldproducts, such as shirts, shoes and pants. The shared shoppingexperience system 224 can update the display attributes of the list ofvirtual reality items that is presented on the client device 102 of thefirst user based on action types performed by a second user operatinganother client device 102. For example, the shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can detect that the second user has selected a given virtualitem to try on or to view more details. In response, the shared shoppingexperience system 224 can modify the display attribute in a first mannerto present a visual indicator (e.g., highlight region) on one of thevirtual reality items in the list of virtual reality items to indicatethat the given virtual item is being acted upon or interacted by anotheruser. For example, if the shared shopping experience system 224 detectsthat the second user has selected to try on virtual reality pants, theshared shopping experience system 224 can modify the display attributein a first manner, such as by displaying a blue border around a first ofthe virtual reality items corresponding to the pants physical product.

Namely, the shared shopping experience system 224 can present a firststack of virtual items corresponding to pants and a second stack ofvirtual items corresponding to shirts. If the second user selects to tryon the pants, the shared shopping experience system 224 can modify thedisplay attribute in a first manner to display a blue border around thefirst stack of virtual items presented on the client device 102 of thefirst user to indicate that the second user has performed an action typeto try on the pants. If the second user selects to purchase the pants,the shared shopping experience system 224 can modify the displayattribute in a second manner to display a red border around the firststack of virtual items presented on the client device 102 of the firstuser to indicate that the second user has performed an action type topurchase the pants. If the second user selects to try on the shirts, theshared shopping experience system 224 can modify the display attributein a third manner to display a blue border around the second stack ofvirtual items presented on the client device 102 of the first user toindicate that the second user has performed an action type to try on theshirts. If the second user selects to purchase the shirts, the sharedshopping experience system 224 can modify the display attribute in afourth manner to display a red border around the first stack of virtualitems presented on the client device 102 of the first user to indicatethat the second user has performed an action type to purchase theshirts.

In some cases, the shared shopping experience system 224 can reduce aquantity of virtual reality items that are in the list presented on theclient device 102 of the first user in response to detecting that thesecond user has selected to try on or view more details about thevirtual item. For example, the shared shopping experience system 224 canpresent a first stack of virtual items corresponding to pants thatappears to include 5 pants and a second stack of virtual itemscorresponding to shirts that appears to include 7 shirts. If the seconduser selects to try on the pants, the shared shopping experience system224 can reduce the quantity of pants included in the first stack ofvirtual items presented on the client device 102 from 5 to 4. If thesecond user selects to try on the shirts, the shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can reduce the quantity of shirts included in the secondstack of virtual items presented on the client device 102 of the firstuser from 7 to 6. The shared shopping experience system 224 can detectthat the second user elected to not purchase the shirts that have beentried on. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224 canincrease the quantity of shirts included in the second stack of virtualitems presented on the client device 102 of the first user from 6 to 7.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 canaccess an inventory of the store associated with the virtual store. Theshared shopping experience system 224 can select how many virtualreality items to present based on the inventory of the store. Forexample, the shared shopping experience system 224 can determine thatthere are 30 pants available in the store inventory. In response, theshared shopping experience system 224 can display up to a maximum of 7virtual reality items corresponding to pants in a first stack of virtualreality items. As another example, the shared shopping experience system224 can determine that there are 6 shirts available in the storeinventory. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224 candisplay 6 or some other quantity less than the total available shirts ina second stack of virtual reality items corresponding to the shirts. Asanother example, the shared shopping experience system 224 can determinethat there is one dress available in the store inventory. In response,the shared shopping experience system 224 can display one virtualreality item corresponding to the dress. The shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can detect input from a client device 102 indicatingselection of the virtual reality item corresponding to the dress. Theshared shopping experience system 224 can determine that the selectedvirtual reality item corresponds to a last dress that is available. Inresponse, the shared shopping experience system 224 removes the virtualreality item from being presented to any other user who is engaged inthe virtual store. Namely, the shared shopping experience system 224 canassociate a non-fungible token (NFT) with each real-world physical itemavailable in the inventory of the store. The shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can generate a unique virtual reality item corresponding toeach of the real-world physical items using the NFT associated with eachof the real-world physical items. In this way, each virtual item that ispresented in the virtual storefront to the users of the shared shoppingexperience is uniquely representative of the real-world productavailable in the store inventory.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 presentsa virtual mannequin in the virtual store. Two or more users that areengaged in the shared shopping experience system 224 can access a fieldof view that includes the virtual mannequin. The shared shoppingexperience system 224 can receive input from a client device 102 of afirst user to add an article of clothing to the virtual mannequin, suchas a virtual hat. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224modifies the virtual mannequin to include the virtual hat selected bythe first user. The shared shopping experience system 224 can receiveinput from a client device 102 of a second user to add another articleof clothing to the virtual mannequin, such as a virtual shirt. Inresponse, the shared shopping experience system 224 modifies the virtualmannequin to include the virtual hat selected by the first user and thevirtual shirt selected by the second user. In this way, each user canuniquely modify components of the virtual store in a way that isrepresented to other users that are engaged in the virtual store.

The shared shopping experience system 224 can also allow the usersengaged in the virtual shared shopping experience to exchange messages.For example, the shared shopping experience system 224 can allow a firstuser to type a message. The shared shopping experience system 224 canthen present that message as an overlay of the virtual store presentedto each of the users who are engaged in the shared shopping experience.Namely, the contents of the messages can be overlaid on virtual items ofthe virtual store presented to each of the users who are browsing thevirtual store. The shared shopping experience system 224 can receiveresponses from the users via their respective client devices 102 and canupdate the list of messages to include the responses.

The shared shopping experience system 224 is a component that can beaccessed by an AR/VR application implemented on the client device 102.The AR/VR application uses an RGB camera to capture an image of a roomin a home. The AR/VR application applies various trained machinelearning techniques on the captured image of the room to generate avirtual or augmented reality storefront that includes various virtualitems representing products associated with the store.

Data Architecture

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating data structures 300, whichmay be stored in the database 126 of the messaging server system 108,according to certain examples. While the content of the database 126 isshown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated that thedata could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as anobject-oriented database).

The database 126 includes message data stored within a message table302. This message data includes, for any particular one message, atleast message sender data, message recipient (or receiver) data, and apayload. Further details regarding information that may be included in amessage, and included within the message data stored in the messagetable 302, is described below with reference to FIG. 4.

An entity table 306 stores entity data, and is linked (e.g.,referentially) to an entity graph 308 and profile data 316. Entities forwhich records are maintained within the entity table 306 may includeindividuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events,and so forth. Regardless of entity type, any entity regarding which themessaging server system 108 stores data may be a recognized entity. Eachentity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity typeidentifier (not shown).

The entity graph 308 stores information regarding relationships andassociations between entities. Such relationships may be social,professional (e.g., work at a common corporation or organization)interested-based or activity-based, merely for example.

The profile data 316 stores multiple types of profile data about aparticular entity. The profile data 316 may be selectively used andpresented to other users of the messaging system 100, based on privacysettings specified by a particular entity. Where the entity is anindividual, the profile data 316 includes, for example, a user name,telephone number, address, settings (e.g., notification and privacysettings), and a user-selected avatar representation (or collection ofsuch avatar representations). A particular user may then selectivelyinclude one or more of these avatar representations within the contentof messages communicated via the messaging system 100 and on mapinterfaces displayed by messaging clients 104 to other users. Thecollection of avatar representations may include “status avatars,” whichpresent a graphical representation of a status or activity that the usermay select to communicate at a particular time.

Where the entity is a group, the profile data 316 for the group maysimilarly include one or more avatar representations associated with thegroup, in addition to the group name, members, and various settings(e.g., notifications) for the relevant group.

The database 126 also stores augmentation data, such as overlays orfilters, in an augmentation table 310. The augmentation data isassociated with and applied to videos (for which data is stored in avideo table 304) and images (for which data is stored in an image table312).

The database 126 can also store data pertaining to individual and sharedAR sessions. This data can include data communicated between an ARsession client controller of a first client device 102 and another ARsession client controller of a second client device 102, and datacommunicated between the AR session client controller and theaugmentation system 208. Data can include data used to establish thecommon coordinate frame of the shared AR scene, the transformationbetween the devices, the session identifier, images depicting a body,skeletal joint positions, wrist joint positions, feet, and so forth.

Filters, in one example, are overlays that are displayed as overlaid onan image or video during presentation to a recipient user. Filters maybe of various types, including user-selected filters from a set offilters presented to a sending user by the messaging client 104 when thesending user is composing a message. Other types of filters includegeolocation filters (also known as geo-filters), which may be presentedto a sending user based on geographic location. For example, geolocationfilters specific to a neighborhood or special location may be presentedwithin a user interface by the messaging client 104, based ongeolocation information determined by a Global Positioning System (GPS)unit of the client device 102.

Another type of filter is a data filter, which may be selectivelypresented to a sending user by the messaging client 104, based on otherinputs or information gathered by the client device 102 during themessage creation process. Examples of data filters include currenttemperature at a specific location, a current speed at which a sendinguser is traveling, battery life for a client device 102, or the currenttime.

Other augmentation data that may be stored within the image table 312includes augmented reality content items (e.g., corresponding toapplying augmented reality experiences). An augmented reality contentitem or augmented reality item may be a real-time special effect andsound that may be added to an image or a video.

As described above, augmentation data includes augmented reality contentitems, overlays, image transformations, AR images, and similar termsthat refer to modifications that may be applied to image data (e.g.,videos or images). This includes real-time modifications, which modifyan image as it is captured using device sensors (e.g., one or multiplecameras) of a client device 102 and then display it on a screen of theclient device 102 with the modifications. This also includesmodifications to stored content, such as video clips in a gallery thatmay be modified. For example, in a client device 102 with access tomultiple augmented reality content items, a user can use a single videoclip with multiple augmented reality content items to see how thedifferent augmented reality content items will modify the stored clip.For example, multiple augmented reality content items that applydifferent pseudorandom movement models can be applied to the samecontent by selecting different augmented reality content items for thecontent. Similarly, real-time video capture may be used with anillustrated modification to show how video images currently beingcaptured by sensors of a client device 102 would modify the captureddata. Such data may simply be displayed on the screen and not stored inmemory, or the content captured by the device sensors may be recordedand stored in memory with or without the modifications (or both). Insome systems, a preview feature can show how different augmented realitycontent items will look within different windows in a display at thesame time. This can, for example, enable multiple windows with differentpseudorandom animations to be viewed on a display at the same time.

Data and various systems using augmented reality content items or othersuch transform systems to modify content using this data can thusinvolve detection of objects (e.g., faces, hands, bodies, cats, dogs,surfaces, objects, etc.), tracking of such objects as they leave, enter,and move around the field of view in video frames, and the modificationor transformation of such objects as they are tracked. In variousexamples, different methods for achieving such transformations may beused. Some examples may involve generating a 3D mesh model of the objector objects and using transformations and animated textures of the modelwithin the video to achieve the transformation. In other examples,tracking of points on an object may be used to place an image or texture(which may be 2D or 3D) at the tracked position. In still furtherexamples, neural network analysis of video frames may be used to placeimages, models, or textures in content (e.g., images or frames ofvideo). Augmented reality content items thus refer both to the images,models, and textures used to create transformations in content, as wellas to additional modeling and analysis information needed to achievesuch transformations with object detection, tracking, and placement.

Real-time video processing can be performed with any kind of video data(e.g., video streams, video files, etc.) saved in a memory of acomputerized system of any kind. For example, a user can load videofiles and save them in a memory of a device or can generate a videostream using sensors of the device. Additionally, any objects can beprocessed using a computer animation model, such as a human's face andparts of a human body, animals, or non-living things such as chairs,cars, or other objects.

In some examples, when a particular modification is selected along withcontent to be transformed, elements to be transformed are identified bythe computing device and then detected and tracked if they are presentin the frames of the video. The elements of the object are modifiedaccording to the request for modification, thus transforming the framesof the video stream. Transformation of frames of a video stream can beperformed by different methods for different kinds of transformation.For example, for transformations of frames mostly referring to changingforms of an object's elements, characteristic points for each element ofan object are calculated (e.g., using an Active Shape Model (ASM) orother known methods). Then, a mesh based on the characteristic points isgenerated for each of the at least one element of the object. This meshis used in the following stage of tracking the elements of the object inthe video stream. In the process of tracking, the mentioned mesh foreach element is aligned with a position of each element. Then,additional points are generated on the mesh. A first set of first pointsis generated for each element based on a request for modification, and aset of second points is generated for each element based on the set offirst points and the request for modification. Then, the frames of thevideo stream can be transformed by modifying the elements of the objecton the basis of the sets of first and second points and the mesh. Insuch a method, a background of the modified object can be changed ordistorted as well by tracking and modifying the background.

In some examples, transformations changing some areas of an object usingits elements can be performed by calculating characteristic points foreach element of an object and generating a mesh based on the calculatedcharacteristic points. Points are generated on the mesh and then variousareas based on the points are generated. The elements of the object arethen tracked by aligning the area for each element with a position foreach of the at least one element, and properties of the areas can bemodified based on the request for modification, thus transforming theframes of the video stream. Depending on the specific request formodification, properties of the mentioned areas can be transformed indifferent ways. Such modifications may involve changing color of areas;removing at least some part of areas from the frames of the videostream; including one or more new objects into areas which are based ona request for modification; and modifying or distorting the elements ofan area or object. In various examples, any combination of suchmodifications or other similar modifications may be used. For certainmodels to be animated, some characteristic points can be selected ascontrol points to be used in determining the entire state-space ofoptions for the model animation.

In some examples of using a computer animation model to transform imagedata using face detection, the face is detected on an image with use ofa specific face detection algorithm (e.g., Viola-Jones). Then, an ASMalgorithm is applied to the face region of an image to detect facialfeature reference points.

Other methods and algorithms suitable for face detection can be used.For example, in some examples, features are located using a landmark,which represents a distinguishable point present in most of the imagesunder consideration. For facial landmarks, for example, the location ofthe left eye pupil may be used. If an initial landmark is notidentifiable (e.g., if a person has an eyepatch), secondary landmarksmay be used. Such landmark identification procedures may be used for anysuch objects. In some examples, a set of landmarks forms a shape. Shapescan be represented as vectors using the coordinates of the points in theshape. One shape is aligned to another with a similarity transform(allowing translation, scaling, and rotation) that minimizes the averageEuclidean distance between shape points. The mean shape is the mean ofthe aligned training shapes.

In some examples, a search for landmarks from the mean shape aligned tothe position and size of the face determined by a global face detectoris started. Such a search then repeats the steps of suggesting atentative shape by adjusting the locations of shape points by templatematching of the image texture around each point and then conforming thetentative shape to a global shape model until convergence occurs. Insome systems, individual template matches are unreliable, and the shapemodel pools the results of the weak template matches to form a strongeroverall classifier. The entire search is repeated at each level in animage pyramid, from coarse to fine resolution.

A transformation system can capture an image or video stream on a clientdevice (e.g., the client device 102) and perform complex imagemanipulations locally on the client device 102 while maintaining asuitable user experience, computation time, and power consumption. Thecomplex image manipulations may include size and shape changes, emotiontransfers (e.g., changing a face from a frown to a smile), statetransfers (e.g., aging a subject, reducing apparent age, changinggender), style transfers, graphical element application, and any othersuitable image or video manipulation implemented by a convolutionalneural network that has been configured to execute efficiently on theclient device 102.

In some examples, a computer animation model to transform image data canbe used by a system where a user may capture an image or video stream ofthe user (e.g., a selfie) using a client device 102 having a neuralnetwork operating as part of a messaging client 104 operating on theclient device 102. The transformation system operating within themessaging client 104 determines the presence of a face within the imageor video stream and provides modification icons associated with acomputer animation model to transform image data, or the computeranimation model can be present as associated with an interface describedherein. The modification icons include changes that may be the basis formodifying the user's face within the image or video stream as part ofthe modification operation. Once a modification icon is selected, thetransformation system initiates a process to convert the image of theuser to reflect the selected modification icon (e.g., generate a smilingface on the user). A modified image or video stream may be presented ina graphical user interface displayed on the client device 102 as soon asthe image or video stream is captured, and a specified modification isselected. The transformation system may implement a complexconvolutional neural network on a portion of the image or video streamto generate and apply the selected modification. That is, the user maycapture the image or video stream and be presented with a modifiedresult in real-time or near real-time once a modification icon has beenselected. Further, the modification may be persistent while the videostream is being captured and the selected modification icon remainstoggled. Machine-taught neural networks may be used to enable suchmodifications.

The graphical user interface, presenting the modification performed bythe transformation system, may supply the user with additionalinteraction options. Such options may be based on the interface used toinitiate the content capture and selection of a particular computeranimation model (e.g., initiation from a content creator userinterface). In various examples, a modification may be persistent afteran initial selection of a modification icon. The user may toggle themodification on or off by tapping or otherwise selecting the face beingmodified by the transformation system and store it for later viewing orbrowse to other areas of the imaging application. Where multiple facesare modified by the transformation system, the user may toggle themodification on or off globally by tapping or selecting a single facemodified and displayed within a graphical user interface. In someexamples, individual faces, among a group of multiple faces, may beindividually modified, or such modifications may be individually toggledby tapping or selecting the individual face or a series of individualfaces displayed within the graphical user interface.

A story table 314 stores data regarding collections of messages andassociated image, video, or audio data, which are compiled into acollection (e.g., a story or a gallery). The creation of a particularcollection may be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user forwhich a record is maintained in the entity table 306). A user may createa “personal story” in the form of a collection of content that has beencreated and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, the user interfaceof the messaging client 104 may include an icon that is user-selectableto enable a sending user to add specific content to his or her personalstory.

A collection may also constitute a “live story,” which is a collectionof content from multiple users that is created manually, automatically,or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example,a “live story” may constitute a curated stream of user-submitted contentfrom various locations and events. Users whose client devices havelocation services enabled and are at a common location event at aparticular time may, for example, be presented with an option, via auser interface of the messaging client 104, to contribute content to aparticular live story. The live story may be identified to the user bythe messaging client 104, based on his or her location. The end resultis a “live story” told from a community perspective.

A further type of content collection is known as a “location story,”which enables a user whose client device 102 is located within aspecific geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus)to contribute to a particular collection. In some examples, acontribution to a location story may require a second degree ofauthentication to verify that the end user belongs to a specificorganization or other entity (e.g., is a student on the universitycampus).

As mentioned above, the video table 304 stores video data that, in oneexample, is associated with messages for which records are maintainedwithin the message table 302. Similarly, the image table 312 storesimage data associated with messages for which message data is stored inthe entity table 306. The entity table 306 may associate variousaugmentations from the augmentation table 310 with various images andvideos stored in the image table 312 and the video table 304.

Data Communications Architecture

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message 400,according to some examples, generated by a messaging client 104 forcommunication to a further messaging client 104 or the messaging server118. The content of a particular message 400 is used to populate themessage table 302 stored within the database 126, accessible by themessaging server 118. Similarly, the content of a message 400 is storedin memory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” data of the client device 102or the application servers 114. A message 400 is shown to include thefollowing example components:

-   -   message identifier 402: a unique identifier that identifies the        message 400.    -   message text payload 404: text, to be generated by a user via a        user interface of the client device 102, and that is included in        the message 400.    -   message image payload 406: image data, captured by a camera        component of a client device 102 or retrieved from a memory        component of a client device 102, and that is included in the        message 400. Image data for a sent or received message 400 may        be stored in the image table 312.    -   message video payload 408: video data, captured by a camera        component or retrieved from a memory component of the client        device 102, and that is included in the message 400. Video data        for a sent or received message 400 may be stored in the video        table 304.    -   message audio payload 410: audio data, captured by a microphone        or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102,        and that is included in the message 400.    -   message augmentation data 412: augmentation data (e.g., filters,        stickers, or other annotations or enhancements) that represents        augmentations to be applied to message image payload 406,        message video payload 408, or message audio payload 410 of the        message 400. Augmentation data for a sent or received message        400 may be stored in the augmentation table 310.    -   message duration parameter 414: parameter value indicating, in        seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message        (e.g., the message image payload 406, message video payload 408,        message audio payload 410) is to be presented or made accessible        to a user via the messaging client 104.    -   message geolocation parameter 416: geolocation data (e.g.,        latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates) associated with the        content payload of the message. Multiple message geolocation        parameter 416 values may be included in the payload, with each        of these parameter values being associated with respect to        content items included in the content (e.g., a specific image        within the message image payload 406, or a specific video in the        message video payload 408).    -   message story identifier 418: identifier values identifying one        or more content collections (e.g., “stories” identified in the        story table 314) with which a particular content item in the        message image payload 406 of the message 400 is associated. For        example, multiple images within the message image payload 406        may each be associated with multiple content collections using        identifier values.    -   message tag 420: each message 400 may be tagged with multiple        tags, each of which is indicative of the subject matter of        content included in the message payload. For example, where a        particular image included in the message image payload 406        depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included        within the message tag 420 that is indicative of the relevant        animal. Tag values may be generated manually, based on user        input, or may be automatically generated using, for example,        image recognition.    -   message sender identifier 422: an identifier (e.g., a messaging        system identifier, email address, or device identifier)        indicative of a user of the client device 102 on which the        message 400 was generated and from which the message 400 was        sent.    -   message receiver identifier 424: an identifier (e.g., a        messaging system identifier, email address, or device        identifier) indicative of a user of the client device 102 to        which the message 400 is addressed.

The contents (e.g., values) of the various components of message 400 maybe pointers to locations in tables within which content data values arestored. For example, an image value in the message image payload 406 maybe a pointer to (or address of) a location within an image table 312.Similarly, values within the message video payload 408 may point to datastored within a video table 304, values stored within the messageaugmentation data 412 may point to data stored in an augmentation table310, values stored within the message story identifier 418 may point todata stored in a story table 314, and values stored within the messagesender identifier 422 and the message receiver identifier 424 may pointto user records stored within an entity table 306.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7A, 7B, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic representations of outputsof the shared shopping experience system, in accordance with someexamples. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a user interface 500 isprovided on client device 102 of a first user. The user interface 500includes a portal page that identifies a merchant or store by name 510.The user interface 500 includes a first option 520 to browse the virtualstore of the identified merchant or store alone. The user interface 500includes a second option 530 to browse the virtual store of theidentified merchant or store with one or more other users.

In response to receiving input from the client device 102 indicatingselection of the first option 520, the shared shopping experience system224 launches a virtual reality version of the store. The virtual realityversion of the store includes a plurality of virtual items correspondingto real-world items (e.g., physical items) sold by the merchant orstore. The shared shopping experience system 224 allows the user toindividually browse contents of the store, try on virtual items, accessadditional information for the items, and purchase the items beingbrowsed.

In response to receiving input from the client device 102 indicatingselection of the second option 530, the shared shopping experiencesystem 224 presents a user interface to the client device 102 of thefirst user for inviting one or more friends to the virtual store. Theuser interface includes a list of the user's friends on the messagingclient 104. The shared shopping experience system 224 can receive inputfrom the user that selects one or more friends from the user interface.The shared shopping experience system 224 can send messages to theselected one or more friends on their respective client device 102. Themessages may inform the one or more friends that the first user wouldlike to engage in a shared shopping experience with the one or morefriends and include an option to join the shared shopping experience. Insome cases, the second option 530 can be provided within a communicationsession engaged in a group chat interface. In response to receiving auser selection of the second option 530 within the group chat interface,the shared shopping experience system 224 invites all of the members inthe group chat to join together the shared shopping experience.

After the users and friends select to join the shared shoppingexperience, a virtual reality storefront is presented to the users ontheir respective client devices 102. Each of the users may initially beplaced within the virtual store at a default location. In some cases, afirst user may initially enter the virtual store and begin browsingvirtual items in the virtual store. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, theuser interface 600 is presented on the client device 102 of a firstuser. A second user may interface with a client device 102 of the seconduser and request to join the first user in the shared shoppingexperience. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224 canplace the second user virtually at a location in the virtual store wherethe first user is currently browsing.

The shared shopping experience system 224 can present a message orprompt 610 on the display of the client device 102 of the first userindicating that the second user has joined and/or identifying all theusers who are currently engaged in the shared shopping experience. Themessage or prompt 610 may include avatars or identifiers 614 of all theusers who are currently in the virtual store and engaged in the virtualshopping experience. The message or prompt 610 may also include a uniqueidentifier 612 of the merchant or store associated with the virtualshopping experience, such as the source of the real-world items beingrepresented by the virtual reality items in the virtual store shown tothe users engaged in the shared shopping experience. The message orprompt 610 may continuously or periodically provide status updates ofactions being performed by each of the users in the virtual shoppingexperience. For example, if a second user is detected to be trying on avirtual item, the message or prompt 610 may be provided to all otherusers who are engaged in the shared shopping experience identifying thesecond user and the action being performed (e.g., virtually trying on anitem). The shared shopping experience system 224 can receive input froma given user that selects the message or prompt 610 and in response, theshared shopping experience system 224 can navigate the given uservirtually to the location of the second user to display the action beingperformed by the second user.

The shared shopping experience system 224 can present presenceindicators 620. The presence indicators 620 identify all the users whoare currently engaged in the shared shopping experience, such as usingavatars. A given presence indicator 620 can be selected to send amessage to or otherwise communicate with a user associated with thegiven presence indicator 620.

A virtual mannequin 630 may be presented to two or more users who arefacing the direction in the virtual store corresponding to the virtualmannequin 630. The shared shopping experience system 224 can receiveinput from a client device 102 of a first user to add an article ofclothing to the virtual mannequin 630, such as a virtual hat. Inresponse, the shared shopping experience system 224 modifies the virtualmannequin 630 to include the virtual hat selected by the first user. Theshared shopping experience system 224 can receive input from a clientdevice 102 of a second user to add another article of clothing to thevirtual mannequin 630, such as a virtual shirt. In response, the sharedshopping experience system 224 modifies the virtual mannequin 630 toinclude the virtual hat selected by the first user and the virtual shirtselected by the second user. In this way, each user can uniquely modifycomponents of the virtual store in a way that is represented to otherusers that are engaged in the virtual store.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 canpresent indicators on respective displays of the users who are currentlyengaged in the shared shopping experience that identify which users areengaged in the shared shopping experience and their current 3Dpositions. The indicators can be conditionally displayed on the basis ofwhether a client device 102 of a given user points towards a directionin 3D of another user. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a client device102 of a first user can be pointed towards field of view correspondingto a first portion of the virtual store in which a first collection ofvirtual items is displayed while a second user is virtually located in asecond portion of the virtual store in which a second collection ofvirtual items is displayed that is 180 degrees away from the firstportion. The virtual location of the second user is not initially withinthe field of view corresponding to the first portion. As input isreceived from the client device 102 of the first user that the clientdevice 102 of the first user has been moved (e.g., turned 180 degrees),the field of view of the client device 102 of the first user is updatedto depict the second portion, as shown in FIG. 7A. As a result, userinterface 700 (FIG. 7A) presented on the client device 102 of the firstuser is now pointing towards a direction of the virtual location of thesecond user and includes an indicator 710 that uniquely identifies thesecond user within a display of the virtual store on the client device102 of the first user. The field of view of the client device 102 of thefirst user is also pointing towards a direction of the virtual locationof a third user and so also includes an indicator 720 that uniquelyidentifies the third user within a display of the virtual store on theclient device 102 of the first user. As such, the user interface 700includes multiple indicators, such as indicator 710 and indicator 720,as the field of view of the client device 102 of the first user pointstoward the direction of two other users' virtual locations.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 presentsa user interface 701 (FIG. 7B) that allows the user to exchange one ormore messages 740 with one another. The messages 740 may identify theuser who sent the message by the name of the user. The messages 740 maybe overlaid or displayed on top of the respective user interfaces of theshared shopping experience (virtual stores) on their respective clientdevices 102. As discussed above, a virtual mannequin may be presented totwo or more users who are facing the direction in the virtual storecorresponding to the virtual mannequin. The shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can receive input from a client device 102 of a first user toadd an article of clothing to the virtual mannequin, such as a virtualshirt 750. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224modifies the virtual mannequin to include the virtual shirt 750 selectedby the first user. The shared shopping experience system 224 can receiveinput from a client device 102 of a second user to add another articleof clothing to the virtual mannequin, such as virtual shorts 752. Inresponse, the shared shopping experience system 224 modifies the virtualmannequin to include the virtual shirt 750 selected by the first userand the virtual shorts 752 selected by the second user. In this way,each user can uniquely modify components of the virtual store in a waythat is represented to other users that are engaged in the virtualstore.

In some embodiments, the shared shopping experience system 224 canreceive input from the client device 102 of the second user indicatingselection of a given virtual reality item 722, such as one thatcorresponds to real-world shirts. The selection may correspond to anaction to view additional information about the virtual reality item722. In response, the shared shopping experience system 224 presents afull screen view of the selected virtual reality item 722 on the clientdevice 102 of the second user. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, theshared shopping experience system 224 displays a full screen userinterface 800 that depicts the selected virtual reality item 722. Thefull screen user interface 800 displays the selected virtual realityitem 722 as a 3D image of the first real-world product corresponding tothe virtual reality item 722 in a second size larger than a first sizein which the selected virtual reality item 722 is displayed to the otherusers. For example, a virtual reality shirt corresponding to the virtualreality item 722 is displayed in a first size in a stack of virtualreality items, as shown in FIG. 7A. After receiving input that requestsadditional information for the virtual reality item 722, the sharedshopping experience system 224 displays a full screen view of thevirtual reality shirt 820 in a second size that is larger than the firstsize.

The full screen user interface 800 is presented to the second user whileother users, such as the first user, continue to be presented on theirrespective client device 102 a view of the virtual store, such asvirtual reality items. The full screen user interface 800 includes anavigation region 810. The shared shopping experience system 224 canreceive input from the second user that navigates the navigation region810. The navigation region 810 can include options to modify aspects orvisual attributes of the selected virtual reality item 722. For example,the navigation region 810 allows the user to select alternate sizes,colors, or styles for the selected virtual reality item 722. Inresponse, the shared shopping experience system 224 updates the view ofthe virtual reality shirt 820 in accordance with the selection from thenavigation region 810. The shared shopping experience system 224 candisplay a try on option 822.

In response to receiving a selection of the try on option 822, theshared shopping experience system 224 can allow the second user tovirtually try on the virtual reality item 820. Namely, the sharedshopping experience system 224 can activate a front-facing camera of theclient device 102 of the second user. The shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can capture a video of the full body of the second user andpresent the video of the full body on the display of the client device102 of the second user. The shared shopping experience system 224 canoverlay or augment the full body in the video with the selected virtualreality item 820 to allow the user to see how the virtual reality itemlooks on the user. In some cases, the virtual reality item 820corresponds to a piece of furniture. In such cases, the shared shoppingexperience system 224 can activate a rear-facing camera of the clientdevice 102 of the second user. The shared shopping experience system 224can capture a video of the real-world environment of the second user andpresent the video of the real-world environment on the display of theclient device 102 of the second user. The shared shopping experiencesystem 224 can overlay or augment the real-world environment in thevideo with the selected virtual reality item 820 to allow the user tosee how the virtual reality item looks in the real-world environment.

In response to receiving a selection of the try on option 822, theshopping experience system 224 can update the message or prompt 610presented on another client device 102 to indicate that the second useris trying on a virtual reality item. The shopping experience system 224can also update a display attribute of the virtual reality item 722 inthe display of the virtual reality item 722 provided on the clientdevice 102 of the first user and other users to indicate the action typebeing performed by the second user in association with the virtualreality item 722. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the user interface900 includes a depiction of the virtual reality item 722 with a blueborder 910 to indicate that another user, such as the first user, istrying on the virtual reality item 722. Namely, the shared shoppingexperience system 224 modifies a display attribute of the virtualreality item 722 presented to a first user in a first manner to indicatethat the second user is performing a first action type, such as tryingon the virtual reality item 722. The shared shopping experience system224 can also update the quantity of virtual reality items included inthe stack of virtual reality items shown to the users in response todetecting that a given user has selected the virtual reality item and/orbased on an inventory of the store. For example, referring back to FIG.7, multiple stacks of virtual reality items are depicted. Each stack caninclude a different quantity of items. The quantities of items presentedto the users in the virtual store are increased or decreased based onactions of other users, such as whether the other users have selectedthe items, are browsing the items, are purchasing the items, have addedthe items to their shopping carts, or are virtually trying on the items.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process 1000, in accordance with someexamples. Although the flowchart describes the operations as asequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallelor concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may bere-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed.A process may correspond to a method, a procedure, and the like. Thesteps of methods may be performed in whole or in part, may be performedin conjunction with some or all of the steps in other methods, and maybe performed by any number of different systems or any portion thereof,such as a processor included in any of the systems.

At operation 1001, the shared shopping experience system 224 receives arequest from a first user to engage in a shared virtual reality shoppingexperience with a second user.

At operation 1002, the shared shopping experience system 224 generates,for display on respective client devices of the first and second users,the shared virtual reality shopping experience comprising a plurality ofvirtual reality items that represent real-world products.

At operation 1003, the shared shopping experience system 224 receives,from the client device of the second user, data indicating a selectionof a first virtual reality item of the plurality of virtual realityitems made by the second user.

At operation 1004, the shared shopping experience system 224 modifies adisplay attribute of the first virtual item in the display of the sharedvirtual reality shopping experience on the client device of the firstuser to indicate the selection of the first virtual reality item made bythe second user.

Machine Architecture

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of the machine 1100 withinwhich instructions 1108 (e.g., software, a program, an application, anapplet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine 1100to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may beexecuted. For example, the instructions 1108 may cause the machine 1100to execute any one or more of the methods described herein. Theinstructions 1108 transform the general, non-programmed machine 1100into a particular machine 1100 programmed to carry out the described andillustrated functions in the manner described. The machine 1100 mayoperate as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 1100 may operatein the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in aserver-client network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 1100 maycomprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook,a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), anentertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a mobiledevice, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch), a smart home device(e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, anetwork router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machinecapable of executing the instructions 1108, sequentially or otherwise,that specify actions to be taken by the machine 1100. Further, whileonly a single machine 1100 is illustrated, the term “machine” shall alsobe taken to include a collection of machines that individually orjointly execute the instructions 1108 to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein. The machine 1100, for example, maycomprise the client device 102 or any one of a number of server devicesforming part of the messaging server system 108. In some examples, themachine 1100 may also comprise both client and server systems, withcertain operations of a particular method or algorithm being performedon the server-side and with certain operations of the particular methodor algorithm being performed on the client-side.

The machine 1100 may include processors 1102, memory 1104, andinput/output (I/O) components 1138, which may be configured tocommunicate with each other via a bus 1140. In an example, theprocessors 1102 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a ReducedInstruction Set Computing (RISC) Processor, a Complex Instruction SetComputing (CISC) Processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a DigitalSignal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor,or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, aprocessor 1106 and a processor 1110 that execute the instructions 1108.The term “processor” is intended to include multi-core processors thatmay comprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred toas “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. AlthoughFIG. 11 shows multiple processors 1102, the machine 1100 may include asingle processor with a single core, a single processor with multiplecores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a singlecore, multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combinationthereof.

The memory 1104 includes a main memory 1112, a static memory 1114, and astorage unit 1116, all accessible to the processors 1102 via the bus1140. The main memory 1104, the static memory 1114, and the storage unit1116 store the instructions 1108 embodying any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1108 mayalso reside, completely or partially, within the main memory 1112,within the static memory 1114, within machine-readable medium 1118within the storage unit 1116, within at least one of the processors 1102(e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combinationthereof, during execution thereof by the machine 1100.

The I/O components 1138 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1138 that are included in a particular machine will depend onthe type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobilephones may include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms,while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touchinput device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components 1138 mayinclude many other components that are not shown in FIG. 11. In variousexamples, the I/O components 1138 may include user output components1124 and user input components 1126. The user output components 1124 mayinclude visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma displaypanel (PDP), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acousticcomponents (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor,resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and so forth. The userinput components 1126 may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., akeyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, aphoto-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components),point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, ajoystick, a motion sensor, or another pointing instrument), tactileinput components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provideslocation and force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile inputcomponents), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

In further examples, the I/O components 1138 may include biometriccomponents 1128, motion components 1130, environmental components 1132,or position components 1134, among a wide array of other components. Forexample, the biometric components 1128 include components to detectexpressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocalexpressions, body gestures, or eye-tracking), measure biosignals (e.g.,blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brainwaves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinalidentification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, orelectroencephalogram-based identification), and the like. The motioncomponents 1130 include acceleration sensor components (e.g.,accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensorcomponents (e.g., gyroscope).

The environmental components 1132 include, for example, one or morecameras (with still image/photograph and video capabilities),illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensorcomponents (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambienttemperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components(e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or moremicrophones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components(e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g.,gas detection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases forsafety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other componentsthat may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding toa surrounding physical environment.

With respect to cameras, the client device 102 may have a camera systemcomprising, for example, front cameras on a front surface of the clientdevice 102 and rear cameras on a rear surface of the client device 102.The front cameras may, for example, be used to capture still images andvideo of a user of the client device 102 (e.g., “selfies”), which maythen be augmented with augmentation data (e.g., filters) describedabove. The rear cameras may, for example, be used to capture stillimages and videos in a more traditional camera mode, with these imagessimilarly being augmented with augmentation data. In addition to frontand rear cameras, the client device 102 may also include a 360° camerafor capturing 360° photographs and videos.

Further, the camera system of a client device 102 may include dual rearcameras (e.g., a primary camera as well as a depth-sensing camera), oreven triple, quad, or penta rear camera configurations on the front andrear sides of the client device 102. These multiple cameras systems mayinclude a wide camera, an ultra-wide camera, a telephoto camera, a macrocamera, and a depth sensor, for example.

The position components 1134 include location sensor components (e.g., aGPS receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters orbarometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived),orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1138 further include communication components 1136operable to couple the machine 1100 to a network 1120 or devices 1122via respective coupling or connections. For example, the communicationcomponents 1136 may include a network interface component or anothersuitable device to interface with the network 1120. In further examples,the communication components 1136 may include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1122 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a USB).

Moreover, the communication components 1136 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 1136 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components1136, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, locationvia Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting an NFC beaconsignal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

The various memories (e.g., main memory 1112, static memory 1114, andmemory of the processors 1102) and storage unit 1116 may store one ormore sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) embodyingor used by any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. These instructions (e.g., the instructions 1108), when executedby processors 1102, cause various operations to implement the disclosedexamples.

The instructions 1108 may be transmitted or received over the network1120, using a transmission medium, via a network interface device (e.g.,a network interface component included in the communication components1136) and using any one of several well-known transfer protocols (e.g.,HTTP). Similarly, the instructions 1108 may be transmitted or receivedusing a transmission medium via a coupling (e.g., a peer-to-peercoupling) to the devices 1122.

Software Architecture

FIG. 12 is a block diagram 1200 illustrating a software architecture1204, which can be installed on any one or more of the devices describedherein. The software architecture 1204 is supported by hardware such asa machine 1202 that includes processors 1220, memory 1226, and I/Ocomponents 1238. In this example, the software architecture 1204 can beconceptualized as a stack of layers, where each layer provides aparticular functionality. The software architecture 1204 includes layerssuch as an operating system 1212, libraries 1210, frameworks 1208, andapplications 1206. Operationally, the applications 1206 invoke API calls1250 through the software stack and receive messages 1252 in response tothe API calls 1250.

The operating system 1212 manages hardware resources and provides commonservices. The operating system 1212 includes, for example, a kernel1214, services 1216, and drivers 1222. The kernel 1214 acts as anabstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers.For example, the kernel 1214 provides memory management, processormanagement (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, andsecurity settings, among other functionality. The services 1216 canprovide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers1222 are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlyinghardware. For instance, the drivers 1222 can include display drivers,camera drivers, BLUETOOTH® or BLUETOOTH® Low Energy drivers, flashmemory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., USB drivers), WI-FI®drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth.

The libraries 1210 provide a common low-level infrastructure used by theapplications 1206. The libraries 1210 can include system libraries 1218(e.g., C standard library) that provide functions such as memoryallocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematicfunctions, and the like. In addition, the libraries 1210 can include APIlibraries 1224 such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to supportpresentation and manipulation of various media formats such as MovingPicture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H.264 or AVC),Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC),Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group(JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), graphics libraries(e.g., an OpenGL framework used to render in 2D and 3D in a graphiccontent on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite to providevarious relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit toprovide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries 1210can also include a wide variety of other libraries 1228 to provide manyother APIs to the applications 1206.

The frameworks 1208 provide a common high-level infrastructure that isused by the applications 1206. For example, the frameworks 1208 providevarious graphical user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resourcemanagement, and high-level location services. The frameworks 1208 canprovide a broad spectrum of other APIs that can be used by theapplications 1206, some of which may be specific to a particularoperating system or platform.

In an example, the applications 1206 may include a home application1236, a contacts application 1230, a browser application 1232, a bookreader application 1234, a location application 1242, a mediaapplication 1244, a messaging application 1246, a game application 1248,and a broad assortment of other applications such as an externalapplication 1240. The applications 1206 are programs that executefunctions defined in the programs. Various programming languages can beemployed to create one or more of the applications 1206, structured in avariety of manners, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g.,Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., Cor assembly language). In a specific example, the external application1240 (e.g., an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ softwaredevelopment kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of theparticular platform) may be mobile software running on a mobileoperating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or anothermobile operating system. In this example, the external application 1240can invoke the API calls 1250 provided by the operating system 1212 tofacilitate functionality described herein.

Glossary

“Carrier signal” refers to any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by themachine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible media to facilitate communication of such instructions.Instructions may be transmitted or received over a network using atransmission medium via a network interface device.

“Client device” refers to any machine that interfaces to acommunications network to obtain resources from one or more serversystems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is notlimited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, PDA, smartphone,tablet, ultrabook, netbooks, laptop, multi-processor system,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game console,set-top box, or any other communication device that a user may use toaccess a network.

“Communication network” refers to one or more portions of a network thatmay be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS)network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi®network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more suchnetworks. For example, a network or a portion of a network may include awireless or cellular network and the coupling may be a Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobilecommunications (GSM) connection, or other types of cellular or wirelesscoupling. In this example, the coupling may implement any of a varietyof types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier RadioTransmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO)technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, EnhancedData rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G)networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High SpeedPacket Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by variousstandard-setting organizations, other long-range protocols, or otherdata transfer technology.

“Component” refers to a device, physical entity, or logic havingboundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, APIs,or other technologies that provide for the partitioning ormodularization of particular processing or control functions. Componentsmay be combined via their interfaces with other components to carry outa machine process. A component may be a packaged functional hardwareunit designed for use with other components and a part of a program thatusually performs a particular function of related functions.

Components may constitute either software components (e.g., codeembodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. A“hardware component” is a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physicalmanner. In various examples, one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone computer system, a client computer system, or a servercomputer system) or one or more hardware components of a computer system(e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured bysoftware (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardwarecomponent that operates to perform certain operations as describedherein.

A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardwarecomponent may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may also includeprogrammable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured bysoftware to perform certain operations. For example, a hardwarecomponent may include software executed by a general-purpose processoror other programmable processor. Once configured by such software,hardware components become specific machines (or specific components ofa machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and areno longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that thedecision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicatedand permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configuredcircuitry (e.g., configured by software), may be driven by cost and timeconsiderations. Accordingly, the phrase “hardware component” (or“hardware-implemented component”) should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certainoperations described herein.

Considering examples in which hardware components are temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need notbe configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured by software to become a special-purpose processor, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respectively differentspecial-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardwarecomponents) at different times. Software accordingly configures aparticular processor or processors, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware component at one instance of time and to constitutea different hardware component at a different instance of time.

Hardware components can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardwarecomponents may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Wheremultiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications maybe achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. Inexamples in which multiple hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such hardwarecomponents may be achieved, for example, through the storage andretrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware components have access. For example, one hardware component mayperform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memorydevice to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardwarecomponent may then, at a later time, access the memory device toretrieve and process the stored output. Hardware components may alsoinitiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate ona resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implementedcomponents that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component”refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors.Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors 1102 orprocessor-implemented components. Moreover, the one or more processorsmay also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an API). The performance ofcertain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some examples, the processors or processor-implementedcomponents may be located in a single geographic location (e.g., withina home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In otherexamples, the processors or processor-implemented components may bedistributed across a number of geographic locations.

“Computer-readable storage medium” refers to both machine-storage mediaand transmission media. Thus, the terms include both storagedevices/media and carrier waves/modulated data signals. The terms“machine-readable medium,” “computer-readable medium,” and“device-readable medium” mean the same thing and may be usedinterchangeably in this disclosure.

“Ephemeral message” refers to a message that is accessible for atime-limited duration. An ephemeral message may be a text, an image, avideo and the like. The access time for the ephemeral message may be setby the message sender. Alternatively, the access time may be a defaultsetting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of thesetting technique, the message is transitory.

“Machine storage medium” refers to a single or multiple storage devicesand media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and associatedcaches and servers) that store executable instructions, routines anddata. The term shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limitedto, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media, includingmemory internal or external to processors. Specific examples ofmachine-storage media, computer-storage media and device-storage mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FPGA, andflash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks Theterms “machine-storage medium,” “device-storage medium,”“computer-storage medium” mean the same thing and may be usedinterchangeably in this disclosure. The terms “machine-storage media,”“computer-storage media,” and “device-storage media” specificallyexclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media, atleast some of which are covered under the term “signal medium.”

“Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” refers to a tangiblemedium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying theinstructions for execution by a machine.

“Signal medium” refers to any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding, or carrying the instructions for execution by amachine and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible media to facilitate communication of software or data. Theterm “signal medium” shall be taken to include any form of a modulateddata signal, carrier wave, and so forth. The term “modulated datasignal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics setor changed in such a matter as to encode information in the signal. Theterms “transmission medium” and “signal medium” mean the same thing andmay be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

Changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. These and otherchanges or modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofthe present disclosure, as expressed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by one or moreprocessors, a request from a client device of a first user to engage ina shared virtual reality shopping experience with a second user;generating, for display on respective client devices of the first andsecond users, the shared virtual reality shopping experience comprisinga plurality of virtual reality items that represent real-world products;receiving, by the one or more processors, from the client device of thesecond user, data indicating a selection of a first virtual reality itemof the plurality of virtual reality items made by the second user; andmodifying a display attribute of the first virtual reality item in thedisplay of the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the clientdevice of the first user to indicate the selection of the first virtualreality item made by the second user.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating for display, within the shared virtual realityshopping experience on the client devices of the first and second users,a list of messages exchanged between the first and second users.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: generating for display within thedisplay of the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the clientdevice of the first user an indicator of a virtual location of thesecond user.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indicator specifiesthe virtual location of the second user within the shared virtualreality shopping experience.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein theindicator comprises an avatar of the second user.
 6. The method of claim1, further comprising: determining, based on the received data, that thesecond user requested more information about a first real-world productassociated with the first virtual reality item; and in response todetermining that the second user requested more information, generatingfor display on the client device of the second user a full screen viewof the real-world product, wherein the client device of the first usercontinues to display the shared virtual reality shopping experience withthe modified display attribute of the first virtual reality item whilethe full screen view is presented to the second user.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the first virtual reality item comprises arepresentation of the first real-world product in a first size; andwherein the full screen view comprises a three-dimensional image of thefirst real-world product in a second size larger than the first size. 8.The method of claim 6, wherein the modified display attribute comprisesa highlight region displayed in association with the first virtualreality item displayed in the shared virtual reality shopping experienceon the client device of the first user.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining an action type associated with the dataindicating the selection of the first virtual reality item; modifyingthe display attribute of the first virtual reality item in the displayof the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the client deviceof the first user in a first manner in response to determining that theaction type comprises a first action; and modifying the displayattribute of the first virtual reality item in the display of the sharedvirtual reality shopping experience on the client device of the firstuser in a second manner in response to determining that the action typecomprises a second action.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the firstaction comprises a request for more information about a first real-worldproduct associated with the first virtual reality item; and wherein thesecond action comprises a request to virtually try on the firstreal-world product associated with the first virtual reality item. 11.The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating for display,within the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the clientdevices of the first and second users, a virtual mannequin; applying afirst article of clothing to the virtual mannequin based on a firstinput that is received from the client device of the first user thatselects a second virtual reality item; and applying a second article ofclothing to the virtual mannequin based on a second input that isreceived from the client device of the second user that selects a thirdvirtual reality item, the first and second articles of clothing beingpresented on the mannequin together.
 12. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: reducing a quantity of the plurality of virtual itemsdisplayed on the client device of the first user in response toreceiving the data indicating the selection of the first virtual realityitem made by the second user.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: accessing an inventory of a store represented by the sharedvirtual reality shopping experience; determining that a first real-worlditem associated with the first virtual reality item is a last itemavailable in the inventory of the store; and removing a representationof the first virtual reality item from the display of the shared virtualreality shopping experience on the client device of the first user inresponse to determining that the first real-world item is the last itemavailable in the inventory of the store.
 14. The method of claim 1,further comprising: accessing an inventory of a store represented by theshared virtual reality shopping experience; and modifying a quantity ofthe plurality of virtual reality items represented in the display of theshared virtual reality shopping experience based on the inventory of thestore.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: associating anon-fungible token (NFT) with each of the plurality of virtual realityitems to track availability of the real-world products represented bythe plurality of virtual reality items.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein the real-world products comprise clothing, makeup, accessories,furniture, or toys.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving therequest from the first user to engage in the shared virtual realityshopping experience with the second user further comprises: generatingfor display on the client device of the first user a portal page thatrepresents a store associated with the real-world products, the portalpage comprising a first option to access the shared virtual realityshopping experience alone and a second option to access the sharedvirtual reality shopping experience with one or more friends, whereinthe request is received in response to detecting a user selection of thesecond option.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:generating, for display on the client device of the first user, amessage that identifies one or more friends comprising the second userthat are currently using the shared virtual reality shopping experience,wherein the message includes avatars of the one or more friends and anidentifier of a store associated with the real-world products.
 19. Asystem comprising: a processor configured to perform operationscomprising: receiving a request from a client device of a first user toengage in a shared virtual reality shopping experience with a seconduser; generating, for display on respective client devices of the firstand second users, the shared virtual reality shopping experiencecomprising a plurality of virtual reality items that representreal-world products; receiving, from the client device of the seconduser, data indicating a selection of a first virtual reality item of theplurality of virtual reality items made by the second user; andmodifying a display attribute of the first virtual item in the displayof the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the client deviceof the first user to indicate the selection of the first virtual realityitem made by the second user.
 20. A non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium that includes instructions that, when executed by one ormore processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising: receiving a request from a client device of a first user toengage in a shared virtual reality shopping experience with a seconduser; generating, for display on respective client devices of the firstand second users, the shared virtual reality shopping experiencecomprising a plurality of virtual reality items that representreal-world products; receiving, from the client device of the seconduser, data indicating a selection of a first virtual reality item of theplurality of virtual reality items made by the second user; andmodifying a display attribute of the first virtual item in the displayof the shared virtual reality shopping experience on the client deviceof the first user to indicate the selection of the first virtual realityitem made by the second user.